What Do Dogs Do When They Are Alone?

 Like human, dogs too suffer from separation anxiety. They don’t like to be left alone. Experts say that this is mostly panic reaction. Dogs demonstrate some strange behavioral patterns when they are left alone, at home, for long periods of time. This usually points towards separation anxiety.

If you feel you have a dog with separation anxiety, look for the following distress signals and behavioral habits when left alone: destructive behavior

like chewing and scratching door frames, cushions etc, extreme salivation, howling or whining as well as other related reactions, a few dogs display sadness when they know their owner is going away for a while, some dogs respond frantically when their owners return. If your dog displays some or all of the aforementioned patterns then you can be sure that you have a dog with separation anxiety.

Dogs generally don’t suffer from separation anxiety, but dogs smothered with love and care are more prone to display such symptoms on being left alone. Dogs that were separated early from their litter, or treated badly when they were pup, etc also display distress and anxiety more often.

If you don’t allow your dogs to associate, play and be ‘social’ with other dogs, they are even more prone to develop such patterns when left alone. Dogs are pack animals, they have an intrinsic need for companions, with out which they feel lonely.

Confining your dog to your house is always a bad idea. It is imperative that you take your dog out for regular walks, let him loose in parks and let him play with other dogs. A dog left alone is more likely to be a dog with separation anxiety.

You will need to realize that the signs of distress shown by dogs on being separated or left alone are sometimes similar to that of anger but what actually your dog is hinting is that it panics and feels anxious when left on it’s own. You should tone down the love you shower on your dog. Let the dog be at ease. Punishing the dog for its behavior doesn’t really help, after all, your dog was anxious because he felt that you left him.

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